DFSC Winter 2017 Update

As mentioned in the last update we have now had a couple of weddings in the Garden Room and have another two booked in. People are appreciating the benefit of a comfortable building and beautiful outdoor surroundings for this type of celebration. Our work on landscaping and outdoor lighting etc. over the last couple of years (see previous posts) has really enhanced this provision.

Meanwhile inside the Garden Room the warm comfortable environment has recently proved popular for a course of baby massage lessons. We also still host the NTC Parent and Toddler mornings every Monday.

We have also added some further disco lighting including a rotating glitter ball for student discos and evening dances in the Garden Room

The Common Room (Games Room) has recently had the addition of a second new arcade quality air hockey machine. The bowling machine which we've now had for a while but hasn't previously been mentioned is also proving very popular. All are for use free of charge.

Meet "Cracker" a baby Bengal Eagle Owl! His owner, Mike, is one of our caretakers and is also a Falconer.

In the main house we have a lot of building work that is nearing completion. E.g. above a refurb' of our visiting staff kitchenette. We look forward to showing you photos of the finished room which will include Hot water boiler for making Hot Chocolate drinks etc. in the evening + a dishwasher and sink etc.

The photo above is a cryptic view of the present state of a £100K refurbishment project we presently have going on! Our largest capital works for sometime. We look forward to 'unveiling' the finished result in a few weeks time when it is completed.

Meanwhile spring is just around the corner and the spring bulbs are about to bloom. We look forward to giving you a Spring update soon.  

Opening Ceremony for The Dean Garden Room

Now that our fantastic new building is completed we couldn't let things pass without a celebratory event. So we put out the bunting and the Lord Mayor of Bristol kindly agreed to formally open it.

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Peter Main, unveiled The Dean Garden Room and then presented souvenirs to specially invited pupils from some of the schools that have visited over the last few months.

After this our 80+ guests all enjoyed a buffet lunch out on the deck. We were glad we'd had the canopy built when it sheltered us from a shower of rain.

Many of our guests then decided to have a go on our Zip Wire

Including The Lord Mayor in his Robes!

Some of our younger guests also had a go at a few of our other High Challenges. The sun came out and an enjoyable afternoon was had by all.

The Dean Garden Room & Pond Cabin

Well the new classroom and lab buildings are now finished and we're looking forward to their formal opening on 11th May when the Lord Mayor of Bristol will be opening them with many invited guests. We didn't want to simply call them the classroom and lab as we expect a variety of user groups to enjoy using them ranging from parent and toddler groups to corporate training groups and even wedding parties.

With that in mind we would like to introduce you to "The Dean Garden Room" above. It is a beautiful timber construction with many eco features including low energy use and a wildflower meadow roof. Natural lighting is provided by large bifolding doors and roof lights and heating is from a fully automated wood pellet boiler system providing renewable energy heating from sustainable sources.

The roof terrace above allows students to view the living roof and the habitats it provides. It will be part of a series of orientation activities that allow students to learn about the sustainable features of the buildings and their place within the environment. The panoramic views of the village and Centre gardens are even better than we expected and no doubt it won't be long before a small group choose to have their picnic lunch up there! We'll certainly look to Blog the first bride and groom wedding photo!

Inside the building we have created a comfortable meeting area at one end. Later this will be separated from the main part of the building by a retractable partition once the timbers have settled and this can be installed.

The building of course has a disabled toilet but we've also included a shower and baby change table to cater for the possible varied use of the building.

We've decided the kitchen is better than most of our kitchens at home! You can certainly make a couple of tea easily enough but we think it is spacious enough to provide catering for an evening group and also use as a bar serving area.

The picnic tables on the deck under the canopy have just been used for the first time by our resident group who enjoyed their lunch there.

"Pond Cabin" is our wonderful new laboratory poised on stilts over the pond. It has already been well received by several groups of students doing their stream studies. The wet room floor makes it easy to wash any sploshed out welly-water down the central drain hole!

Inside it is surprisingly spacious and when be using by some users will make an excellent 'break out room' for group work for up to 20 people. We will be able to put our microscopes and charts etc. away in the built in cupboards and provide a meeting room with a difference.

We particularly like the design and shape of the ceiling.

The views out of the window aren't bad either and the pond has now got a resident pair of ducks who have taken up residence.

Nearly There!

We're on the home straight with the classroom construction and they've even started work on the landscaping outside. 

 

The deck now has a large canopy over much of it.

The Wood Pellet Boiler has been installed and is due to be commissioned next week.

And our new Field Study Laboratory poised over the pond is coming along nicely and already getting some very favorable comments

We've clad it using recycled cladding from the old classroom. The phoenix rising from the flames!

I expect our next Blog post will be to show you the completed works!

Classroom New Build

Snow is presently delaying the external finishes to the classroom build, but progress has been made since Christmas.

Fortunately the roof insulation and second weatherproof coating went on before the snow arrived!

Inside the electrics have all be installed. The roof lights are providing good internal light to the building in addition to the large glazed doors

The deck now has most of the ballustrading up and if you look past the snow you can envisage a group sitting there in the summer eating a packed lunch and looking out over the grounds to the climbing tower and zip wire!

The foundations have now been laid for our separate Laboratory building. This will be an octagonal structure poised over the pond on stilts with a decked bridge leading into it.

The posts, as seen above, are made of a special wood called Green Heart that doesn't decay in water. Once the snow goes this building should go up pretty quickly and we look forward to posting a photo of the finished product with the pond beneath. It will make a very apt place for students to study under a microscope the creatures they have found in the pond and stream.

The Roof Is On

The new classroom is now weather tight and has the first layer of roof covering on. This will later be covered with insulation and a wild flower meadow to finish. Standing up there you get a good view over to the main Centre building, seen in the photo above and also to the station and surrounding forest. This will be a view that all can share as there will be staircase access to the roof and a viewing platform! More info about this in the future. The two roof lights will bring more light into the interior of the building meaning low need for additional daytime lighting.

Another key design feature which is looking great are the 5.5m bi-fold doors that open out on to the deck. This really will open the inside into the outdoors and vice versa. The deck will become an extension of the inside space and will later have a canopy installed.

The log cabin style wall and ceiling shown above is the both the structure of the building and the final interior finish to the room. We think it looks great and gives a Scandinavian feel to the building whilst also reflecting the use of the trees and forest that surround the building.

It's Rising Out Of The Ground!

Our new classroom building is finally rising out of the ground! Rather soggy wet ground that is, after probably our worse spell of weather this year.

The construction workers have coped with horrendous wet weather over the last 24 hours but the building is beginning to take shape. We can already see the layout of the rooms and get an impression of the size.

It basically goes together like lego! One beam slots on top of another. We should now see some rapid progress in the next few days.